Civic

Members of Congress Speak Out Against French Ban

February 4, 2004

Source: The Sikh Coalition

http://www.sikhcoalition.org/HondaEhlers.asp

On February 4, 2004 The Sikh Coalition reported that Congressmen Mike Honda (D-CA) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) sent a memo to members of Congress and urged them to sign onto a letter to the French Government. This letter expresses concern over the French ban of articles of faith in schools. The letter reads, in part: "On February 10, 2004, the French Parliament will vote on legislation to restrict religious...

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Sikhs Undertake "Last-Ditch" Protest Against Ban of Religious Symbols

February 2, 2004

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0202/p01s02-woeu.html

On February 2, 2004 The Christian Science Monitor reported, "[T]he Sikhs of France are...launching a last-ditch defense of their distinctive turbans in the face of a proposed French law banning conspicuous religious symbols that threatens to keep their boys out of school. In doing so, they are asking the French state to reconsider fundamental elements of what it means by national...

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NH Community Supports Hindu Temple Destroyed by Fire

February 1, 2004

Source: The Hampton Union

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/hampton/02012004/news/73826.htm

On February 1, 2004 The Hampton Union reported that "the aftermath of a New Year’s Eve fire that gutted the Saraswati Mandiram Hindu Temple on Ladd’s Lane has Pandit Ramadheen Ramsamooj, the church’s leader, feeling both devastated by the loss and uplifted by the outpouring of community support - a support he did not realize was there until he...

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Hindu Temple Gives Blankets to the Homeless

January 31, 2004

Source: Tri-Valley Herald

http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10671~1927258,00.html

On January 31, 2004 the Tri-Valley Herald reported that "the Hindu Temple of Livermore recently distributed more than 150 winter blankets for homeless people visiting Hope Project, Open Heart Kitchen, Tri-Valley Haven and Shepherd's Gate. Christine Dillman, director of homeless services at the Tri-Valley Haven Pantry, thanked the Hindu Temple, also known...

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Thousands of Sikhs from Europe, India Protest Ban of Religious Symbols

January 31, 2004

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3448239.stm

On January 31, 2004 the BBC News reported, "Several hundred Sikhs from across Europe have protested in Paris against a proposed law which would ban religious symbols from French schools. France's Sikh community of about 6,000 is outraged that they were not consulted when the law was drawn up...Some 2-3,000 Sikhs, the men all in turbans, marched from the Place de la Republique, the starting point for Paris street...

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Officials Meet Over the Need for Muslim Foster Homes in NY

January 30, 2004

Source: Muslims Weekly

http://www.indypressny.org/article.php3?ArticleID=1245

On January 30, 2004 Muslims Weekly reported, "On Jan. 20, religious, community and city officials met at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York (ICCNY) to address the urgent need for Muslim foster homes in New York City, and to come up with possible solutions. Presently, there is no NYC foster care agency that specializes in placing Muslim children into Islamic foster homes. The main...

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Christian Coalition Serves the President

January 30, 2004

Source: BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3445229.stm

On January 30, 2004 the BBC reported, "An increasingly polarised presidential election appears to be in the offing. One of the fault-lines is religion and, in particular, President George W Bush's evangelical faith and how that guides his political beliefs." The article outlines the muscle of the Christian coalition, many of whom are hoping that President Bush will help "keep the deterioration of society at bay...

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Hindu Family Asked to Remove Religious Flag in Florida

January 30, 2004

Source: Hindustan Times

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_554088,00050001.htm

On January 30, 2004 the Hindustan Times reported that "a Hindu family in Florida has been asked to remove a religious flag from outside their home or face a fine of up to $100 a day. Residents of the Rivermill development area in Lake Worth, Florida, asked Chola and Leila Persaud, who are of Indo-Guyanese origin, to remove the flag. 'We had a general meeting of homeowners. My...

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Pope Issues Statements to Sikhs on French Religious Symbols Ban

January 30, 2004

Source: SikhNetwork

http://www.sikhnet.com/s/PopeMessage

On January 30, 2004 the SikhNetwork reported, "[T]he Vatican issued a message from His Holiness Pope John Paul II to Tarlochan Singh, Chairman National Commission for Minorities in India in response to Tarlochan Singh's previous communication to the Vatican regarding the proposed ban on the turban for Sikhs in the schools of France...[The Pope writes,] 'Communities of believers, an expression of the religious dimension of the...

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Punjab Sikh Leaders Ask France to View Turbans Separately in Religious Symbols Ban

January 29, 2004

Source: Yahoo! News

http://in.news.yahoo.com/040129/43/2b6uq.html

On January 29, 2004 Yahoo! News posted an Indo-Asian News Service article that reported, "Sikh leaders and religious groups from Punjab have asked the French government to review a proposed law banning the wearing of turbans and other types of headgear in public institutions and workplaces. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body that manages the religious affairs of the Sikh...

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Sikhs Say They May Leave Country if Religious Symbols Ban Passes

January 23, 2004

Source: The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,1129288,00.html

On January 23, 2004 The Guardian reported, "Last month, France barely knew its Sikh community existed. Next month, it may not exist: Sikhs have said they may leave if they are forced, under a planned ban on religious symbols in state institutions, to remove their turbans. 'We cannot take them off,' said Jasdev Singh Rai, a negotiator sent by the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the...

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NYPD Previews Training Film to South Asian, Muslim, and Arab Communities

January 23, 2004

Source: Muslims Weekly

http://www.indypressny.org/article.php3?ArticleID=1232

On January 23, 2004 Muslims Weekly reported that "the New York Police Department (NYPD) unveiled its newest officer training film to leaders and community activists from local Arab, South Asian, and Muslim communities last Tuesday. The video, created by Jonathon Silberberg, is a training aid for newly appointed officers, after they have been on the beat for about eight weeks. The 6 p.m. Jan...

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Muslims Flex Political Muscle

January 23, 2004

Source: BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3422685.stm

On January 23, 2004 the BBC reported that groups like the CAIR are trying to get one million more Muslims to register as voters in the upcoming presidential election. Muslims believe that if the election again comes down to the wire, then their votes can make a crucial difference in swing states, particularly Ohio. "They now have the ear of Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who is running for the Democrat nomination for...

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